January 5, 1945 Friday

France

Good morning, Hon—

We are getting some beautiful clear crisp winter days here. We don’t have to be out too much, so we don’t mind the cold. I say again, we are more comfortable in this our first rest area than we have been in all Europe. May it continue a long time!

I don’t believe I told you of the thrilling tale of our platoon’s first prisoner. We were in a town, and about half a squad set up an outpost in a house. The civilians came and asked if they would like to sleep in the house and have a drink of “Schnapps” or in French “Eau de Vie.” They said no to the first, but yes to the second. When the civilians returned with the bottle, it was noted that there was one more civilian there. He stood around awkwardly and finally handed a piece of paper to the non-com, Sgt. Taylor of my second squad. Sgt. Taylor saw that it had some German on it, so he handed it back and told the man to come back tomorrow – he was too tired to play around writing notes. The man left, only to return in a few minutes and hand him the paper again. This time Taylor took a good look at it and saw it was one of those surrender tickets. Yes, the man was a German soldier, without a helmet and in a uniform stripped of insignia! Thus my platoon was forced to take its first prisoner; also the company’s first, I believe.

My letters will have to be short until I can find time to send a fair sized one, Hon. We haven’t received any mail for several days now, but I am sure a handful will come soon. I love you, Hon – that’s all for now—

There, got back faster than I expected to. Things are working very well today. It’s about noon here now, so I suppose you are still in bed. If you aren’t, you should be! These cold nights are made for sleeping. It really is a shame that we have never had any winter’s nights together since we have been married. They’d be so warm and comfortable and close. That is another thing to look forward to “after the war.”

“After the war” means the start of life again for most GIs. We go along doing what we can to it all over with. Getting that done is one life, a world you have to live thru before you can start the one you want. For us, it is our life of studying and teaching and appreciating good things. Now, it is my platoon that is my job. After you have been with a platoon like this one as I have, you feel a real duty toward it, or rather a dedication to it. There are so many things a platoon leader can do to make things better for the men in the platoon. Nobody else knows its problems as well, as has the authority to make changes. It puts you on a spot where you feel like a louse unless you are working for the platoon. It’s my “baby” for the duration, and a job I can put all my efforts into. 55 combat soldiers require a lot of thought, training, advice and leadership. They get pretty high strung, sometimes, and it requires tact to keep all factions working together. Then, of course, supply, maintenance, tactics, health, chow, mail – everything from seeing that they don’t get trench foot to sending them to church is my responsibility. That’s my job until “after the war,” and as a rule, I like it – you feel as tho you were helping somebody.

Every soldier in the outfit is his damnedest to win the war. It’s surprising how united they are in the effort – how unselfish. Regardless of the motives of the war, or the results of our actions, there is no denying the contribution of GI Joe to what he thinks is a good thing.

Reading the news makes me wonder if all this good unselfish effort will turn out for the best. Greece, Italy, Belgium, and Poland are all messed up from what seems to be a difference in policy among Great Britain, US, and Russia. Many are optimistic that all will be smoothed out, but it hurts to read about more war and civil war and arguments in areas that are supposed to have “liberated” and put under the wing of the “United” Nations. ---

Well, here I am once more. This is a continued letter all right. It is now after noon. I have just returned from seeing about tomorrow’s schedule. While at the supply room, my “supply personnel” and I devised something pretty useful, I think. I had a swell cigarette case, you know. Well, it’s lifetime with me was about par – I lost it one night recently. There are no others to be had up here, so I have been looking for a substitute and today I found it in a German cartridge case. Instead of a regular cartridge belt, they put out a leather device which attaches on to a regular belt. This thing is divided into 3 parts, each just large enough to hold 2 German rifle clips or on pack of Chesterfields. All you have to do is cut off the two end parts and you have two fine cigarette cases. Genuine black leather, very stiff, waterproof cover and fastener, and a handy loop to attach it to a belt if you wish. I expect I’ll carry mine in my pocket, tho.

German cartridge holders

Soon now I should be receiving accounts of the Christmas season in New Hampshire. I guess I told you some of our Xmas here. We didn’t it share it with the Jerries, but there was a remarkable amount of Xmas spirit among our units. With mortar fire still coming our way, the platoon rigged up a tree trimmed with white feathers, wrappings from Yuletide packages, etc. The Co. CP also had one even better decorated. Each guard change whispered a spontaneous “Merry Christmas” after the password. A recon unit near us sent a messenger with a greeting poem and better yet a bottle of a sort of Xmas grog that resembled egg nog with a kick to it. Remember the “Pink Lady” we had in New Orleans? Much the same.

I sure hope the season was a merry one for you, Hon. It is a wonderful time of year. Now I am trying to imagine how you are starting the New Year – still working? Or getting ready for school? Any resolutions? Let’s see, I made a couple – to think actively each day and apply my conclusions practically to the job at hand, namely, the platoon; and to be prepared to act decisively and intelligently if a chance comes this year to return to you and my real profession.

Are you asking the question all the civilians here do – when will the war be over? Who knows – I always answer “au printemps, je crois” – these German counter attacks don’t seem to do much but delay things. They know as well as we that they will be defeated, many of the German enlisted men are badly demoralized, but their officers seem intent on making us destroy every little village in Germany, and if it has to be done that way, it will. That is what makes me so mad at them. They keep the war going on and just invite us to go on ruining things, even when they must see that it is to no avail for them. We will all be glad when the war is all on German territory.

Long or short, we know we will win. The important thing is what will happen after, or what is being done now to arrange a peace. Britain has definite ideas, so has Russia. You can see that by their actions in freed countries. The US is not so clear, at least so it seems from here. The policy of “let each country choose its own government – we won’t interfere” is at present adding up simply to isolationism for the US, while Britain and Russia and France do the deciding for the little countries.

Britain backs conservative governments – regencies, pre-war governments, conservatives, powers that will take orders from Britain. Russia, with France right behind, fights for new governments, liberals, leftists, changes. The two scrap it out in each new country. I hope the US will take a hand for liberal democracies and give us a little action for united efforts. The US could do it if they only would. Got to do it quick, too – the thing is coming to a head right now, war over or not. It is not s time for silence and “no comment” from the state department.

That’s all for today. Very likely the outlook up here is badly warped due to lack of complete news, but that’s the picture I get. And I’m still cynical about the “big picture” for the future.

Anyway, maybe it won’t effect us too badly if we can get started after the war. Politics won’t be our forte, and perhaps a good educational psychologist can live and study in most any modern country. Our problems are those of individuals, not nations, and except in certain phases, individual problems are the same fundamentally in all countries.

Let me know exactly how you are, Honey. I love you always and want to share all your trouble snd thoughts, as you share mine. And you do a wonderful job for me, Honey, far away as you are. Your letters and packaged have shown the same insight snd understanding you have when we are together. I love you and admire you more than I can ever say, my nice, neat, lovable wife.

Always all yours,

Wallace.